The Men’s Shed community was abuzz in Edmonton on October 25, as representatives from Men’s Sheds Canada and the Alberta Men’s Sheds Association gathered to exchange best practices and plan for future collaborations to strengthen Men’s Sheds in Alberta and beyond. Following a productive joint Board meeting and a afternoon of presentations for invited stakeholders from the Edmonton Community, MSC President Robert Goluch took the opportunity to present a hand-carved token of recognition to Punch Jackson, Chair of the Alberta Men’s Sheds Association and tireless advocate for Men’s Sheds here and around the world.
Alberta currently has 31 Sheds and growth is ongoing, in large part to partnerships with Family, Community Support Services (with 200 offices and staff across Alberta), Healthy Aging CORE Alberta (with a network of over 1800 professionals and practitioners working with Seniors) and The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (with over 160 neighbourhood-focused Community Leagues in Edmonton). Community-based partnerships like this are key to raising awareness of Men’s Sheds and engaging members to join local Sheds.